


I'll Hold Your Hands (They're Just Like Ice)

by tictactoews



Category: Social Network (2010)
Genre: Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-01-22
Updated: 2012-01-22
Packaged: 2017-10-29 22:38:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,596
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/324940
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tictactoews/pseuds/tictactoews
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Eduardo is cold, which may or may not be Mark's fault. Mark obviously needs to warm him up.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I'll Hold Your Hands (They're Just Like Ice)

**Author's Note:**

> Written for a prompt at the Mark/Eduardo prompt fest. Clothes sharing, huddling for warmth and general fluff.
> 
> Disclaimer: This is entirely a work of fiction, based on fictionalized personas as presented in the movie The Social Network and not the real people. No profit is being made, I don't own anything or anybody.

The blizzard starts just as Mark is getting ready to go out an meet Eduardo at the Thirsty Scholar. Chris, Dustin and Billy are already at some party, but since Mark refused to go, Eduardo somehow managed to talk him into going out for a beer.

Eduardo has his sneaky ways of persuading Mark to do anything. He knows well that guilt trips never work, unless pissing Mark off is the desired effect, but Eduardo has mastered the art of puppy-eyeing Mark to death. It’s almost unfair that he would use his power to get Mark to agree to anything Eduardo wanted him to do – even if it meant interrupting Mark’s most vital work - like he did this morning. And Mark, like the hopeless sucker that he is, agreed to what Wardo asked for.

But of course, the weather back then was mild and gentle, and Mark doesn’t think his promise is binding anymore.

In a matter of minutes the delicate, harmless snow that’s been falling all afternoon turns into a vicious whiteout, and nobody in their right mind would attempt to go outside into this. Certainly not Mark. He takes off his shoes, sends a text to Eduardo to let him know he’s not coming (in case Wardo is stupid enough to go out in this weather), opens his laptop and dives back into code.

Some time later there’s a knock on his bedroom door and Eduardo peeks in. Mark looks up at him and frowns. Eduardo is impeccably dressed as usual, in a black suit and a dark blue button-down, but his nose is red, his cheeks are pink, and there is snow in his hair. Yet somehow he still manages to look drop dead gorgeous, or maybe it’s just Mark and his delusions. He’s obviously been harboring this ridiculous crush on his best friend for too long. Mark shakes his head to get rid of these thoughts.

“Wardo? What are you doing here?” Mark says, careful not to let any of these feelings seep into his voice. He’s always careful.

“I waited for half an hour in front of the bar for you. You didn’t show up.”

The tone of Eduardo’s voice sounds like he wants for it to be accusatory, but is too tired to pull it off.

“Of course I didn’t, it’s ferocious out there! Didn’t you get my text? And why didn’t you just wait inside?”

Eduardo slumps onto Mark’s bed and pulls his knees up to his chin. “Shit. No, I didn’t get it, I left my phone in the dorm. And I waited outside, because it was crowded in there and I didn’t want to miss you coming in, no phone and all,” he explains. It makes some sense, if you use a Wardo kind of logic. “Guess we’re staying in tonight, huh?”

“Well, obviously. Make yourself at home,” Mark says and resumes typing.

Eduardo gives him an exasperated look. “And what, you’re going to code all night? No way, Mark, you promised to have a beer with me, but since that didn’t work out, we will at least watch a movie like normal people do on a Saturday night.”

Mark raises his eyebrows and looks at Eduardo increduously. He doesn’t use this kind of voice – stern and irritated - very often. But well, he does have a point, Mark concedes.

“Fine, let me just finish here,” Mark says, and Eduardo sighs, resigned.

“Ten minutes, Mark.”

Mark goes back to coding, but something about Eduardo’s presence distracts him more than usual. Eduardo keeps _fidgeting_ , and it’s fucking up Mark’s concentration. He raises his eyes, ready to snap at him, when he realises something. Eduardo isn’t fidgeting, he’s shivering. Apparetly, he’s been trying to hide it earlier, but now it seems like he’s not able to contain it any longer and lets violent shivers run through his whole body. Right. He’s been standing in the heavy snow for half an hour, his black suit must be soaked, even though it doesn’t show.

Mark gets up and opens his closet. “Jesus Christ, Wardo, why didn’t you wear a coat? Who goes out in a _blizzard_ in just a suit?”

Eduardo shoots him a miserable look and shivers some more.

“It wasn’t snowing this hard when I was going out,” he explains, teeth chattering.

Mark takes out some sweatpants and a hoodie and throws them at Eduardo. “Here, put these on.”

“Thanks,” Eduardo says, softly, and starts changing out of his wet clothes and into Mark’s. Mark averts his eyes – he might be hopelessly crushing on his best friend, but that doesn’t mean he wants to torture himself - and sits back at his desk, ready to get back to work.

Five minutes later Mark raises his eyes to check on Eduardo and sees him curled up on Mark’s bed, eyes closed and hands tucked into pockets. He looks peaceful and comfortable, half his face tucked into the worn material of the hoodie.

But he’s still not warm enough. The shivers running through his body are visibly less intense, but they are still there.

Mark’s all about efficiency, and he knows what is the best way to warm someone up. He refuses to think about any other implications of what he’s about to do.

“Okay, Wardo, out of the clothes and under the sheets.”

Eduardo’s eyes snap open. “What?” he asks, slightly breathless. Mark doesn’t respond, just stands up and pulls his own shirt off. He glares at Eduardo, who doesn’t move and just stares at Mark with wide eyes, his mouth ajar. Mark steps out of his jeans, too, and wearing only boxers approaches the bed. He leans over and tugs at the hoodie Eduardo is wearing.

“You’re still shivering. You’re going to get hypothermia, or pneumonia. Sharing body heat is one of the best ways to warm up, so stop being difficult and get in the bed.”

Eduardo doesn’t reply, just shuts his mouth and fumbles to get out of the hoodie and sweatpants, and then slides under the covers. Mark follows him, pulls the covers over them, and plasters himself to Eduardo’s side.

And then it hits him.

He’s lying with _Eduardo_ in a _bed_ , and they’re both almost naked. For a few seconds, Mark is unable to move.

Eduardo doesn’t seem to have this problem, though. He sighs happily, throws one arm over Mark’s waist, and buries his face in Mark’s neck.

Mark has imagined it happening so many times, but in his fantasies it was always preceded by a round of hot sex, not a near-death experience in a raging snowstorm. This is all wrong, but surprisingly, it feels strangely right.

Slowly, Mark brings one hand up to rest on Eduardo’s shoulder blade, and uses his other arm to pull Eduardo closer. The idea was to share some body heat, after all. Eduardo makes a sleepy, contented noise and _nuzzles_ Mark’s neck.

Someone up there must really have it in for Mark.

It takes about fifteen minutes for Eduardo to stop shivering completely and fall asleep, curled into Mark. For a minute Mark toys with the idea of staying where he is – Eduardo’s body feels nice, he’s warm (finally!) and solid, and his breath is pleasantly hot against Mark’s collarbone. Mark doesn’t even mind this ridiculous hair tickling his chin.

But Eduardo only got into bed with him because he was freezing, and now that he’s out of the danger of hypothermia, he probably doesn’t appreciate Mark being all over him like a pining, clingy octopus. Especially without any clothes between them.

Mark makes sure Eduardo really is asleep before he tries to disentangle himself from Eduardo’s limbs, but Eduardo is apparently not as deeply asleep as he thought. Feeling the movement, he tightens his grip on Mark and opens his eyes. Mark nearly expires from having _these eyes_ look at him so warmly at such close proximity.

And then Eduardo _smiles_. A slow, lazy, beautiful smile that makes Mark’s insides twist.

“Thanks, Mark,” Wardo says quietly. “I didn’t know you were so good at taking care of people.”

Mark shrugs. “You’re not people, you’re… you. And it’s no big deal, I owe you something for all these times you took care of me--”

Eduardo interrupts him with a kiss - just a chaste, soft press of his lips against Mark’s. It stirs something deep inside Mark’s stomach and makes his heart skip a bit. And well, it shuts him up effectively.

Wardo pulls away, and even though he’s so exhausted his eyelids are half-closed again, his smile is even bigger and more radiant than before.

“No, Mark, you don’t owe me anything. But-- thank you.”

“I’d say any time, but I really hope you won’t ever try to freeze to death again,” Mark says, and Eduardo laughs.

Mark really needs to make him stop smiling at him like this, so this time, he kisses Eduardo. Wardo’s lips are soft and warm, and the kiss is sweet and gentle. Mark’s hand slides into Eduardo’s hair, and Eduardo moves down to mouth at Mark’s jaw, then kiss his neck and collarbone. He looks up, gives Mark one last peck on the lips and proceeds to rest his head on Mark’s chest, arm firmly wrapped around his waist, and in a couple of minutes he is asleep.

Mark doesn’t try to move this time, deciding that maybe he needs some sleep, too. The snowstorm outside shows no signs of stopping anytime soon. Mark pulls the covers snugly over Eduardo’s back and shoulders, wraps his arms around him and promptly falls asleep.


End file.
